Pumping apparatus



Oct. 15, 1940. c. M. OLEARY l 2,218,214

PUMPING APPARATUS Filed March 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l gli? Oct. l5, 1940.

c. M. o'LEARY PUMPI'NG APPARATUS Filed March 18, 193s 2 sheets-sheet 2.

M. WM wwwg me L WW Arm/Mfr Patented Oct. 15, 1940 y i UNITED `STATES PATENT]- OFFICE 2,218,214 VPUMPING APPARATUS Charles M.oLeary, Los Angeles, Calif, Application March 18, 1938, Serial No. 196,752

' v claims; (c1. 721-589) This invention relates to pumping apparatus. The presentv invention is particularly concerned with well pumping apparatus used in connection with the pumping of oil from deep wells, and is of the general Vtype shown in my `copending application entitled Oil Well pump and counterbalance, filed concurrently herewith. In this type of pumping apparatus a power drive is provided for actuating a walking beam, at l0 the ,free end of whichl well pump rods are vconnected and by which said pump rods are' reciprocated. The presentl inventionl is concerned with a iiuid counterbalancing cushioning and compensating means whereby fluid circulating through the apparatus in a continuous flow will be maintained at a constant pressure incident to the actuation of the apparatus, and will thus insure that the uid pressure conditions within the apparatus are maintained constant at all times for the purposes hereinbefore explained.

'Ihe present invention contemplates the provision of a walking beam provided with power means to produce its oscillation, and -which beam reciprocates a well pumping mechanism, said beam being fitted with a cushioning unit of the iiuid type through which a constant ow of incompressible uid is maintained at all times.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which: :l0 Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the application of the present linvention to a well pumping mechanism.v

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section and elevation showing a, fluid cushioning unit.

Figure 3 is a top view of the compression tank. Referring more particularly to the drawings I0 indicates a Samson post upon which a walk# ing beam II-is mounted. A pivot pin I2 attaches 4U the walking -beam to theSamson post and'permits free'oscillating movement of the walking beam. `At one end of the walking beam is a horse head I3 to receive the reins I4 of a polish rod I5. It will be understood that the polish 4:, rod extends downwardly into a well casing I6 and operates the plunger of a pump. -At a point in the length of the walking beam a pivot pin I8 is mounted to receive thev end of a pitman rod |9. The pitman rod is. connected by-a :.o wrist pinv 20 with a crank 2| which is mounted upon a shaft 22 driven by a pulley 23. It is understood that the pulley receives its power from a suitable source of power supply not shown, and that if desired other forms of driv- 5.. ing mechanism may be used. The drawings in the present instance merely show la simple form of power unit and it is to beunderstood that 2 while the walking beam is here shown as being of the simple lever type; power might be applied to the beam at other points, such for example 5v as at a point betweenv the horse head andthe Samson post. 2 n

Disposed at--a point between the horse head and the Samson post is a pivot 24 to which the upper end of 'a piston rod 25 isconnected. This 10 rod extends downwardly to operatively connect the cushioning unit 26 with the Walking beam.v By'reference toFig. 2 it will be seen that the rod 25 extends rdownwardly through a guide spider 26'. formed Awith a plurality of guider arms 2'I be# tween which an air circulating space 28 occurs. The spider is mounted over the yupper end 'of a compression cylinder 29 and guides the piston rod 25' as it reciprocates within the cylinder 29 20 and moves its piston 30. The cylinder 29 is mounted within a tank 3|. The head 32 of the tank receives aflanged .shoulder 33 of the cyllnder 29 through which'cap screws 34 passand by whichthe cylinder 29 is held in position 'to 25 seal the tank 3| and to form a compression. space 35 therein and around the cylinder 29. The lower end of the cylinder 29 is provided with a head 36 having an openingrtherethrough to which is attached a pipe 3`I. The pipe 31 extends d own-` 30v wardly andl communicates with a main control valve 38, the opposite side of which valve is pror` videdwith a pipe 39 connected with a T 40. The T connects with pipes 4| which in turn establish/communication with the tank 3| through its 35 bottom head 42. The valve 38A therefor can be used to regulate or `interrupt ow of Huid below the piston of the cylinder29 hereinafter` designated as'the balancing cylinder and for purposes to be hereinafter set forth. A draw/-oi pipe 43, 40 extendsthrough the wall of thev tank 3| and,v establishes communication with the lower end'of the balancing cylinder. 'I r'his pipe is connected with a four-way coupling 44. The lower leg of thisfcoupling is connected with a bleeder valve 45. The upper leg ofthe coupling connects with.' a pipe 46 which carries a check valve 41 connected-in turn through a pipe 48 with thev tank4 3|. The remaining leg of the member 44 is provided with a check valve 49. Whenkd'esired,l for l50 purposes hereinafter set forth, the'check valve 49 may be utilized to permit a ow ofv air from the atmosphere to intermittently enter cylinder 29 below piston 30 by way of tting 44 and pipe 43. This phase of operation is necessary at in- 'I'his spideras shown in Fig. 3 ls 16 2 tervals for the purpose of establishing a pre-determined pressure of air in the tank 3|, and may be accomplished by closing valve 38, thereby causing the non-compressible liquid contained in cylinder 29 below piston 30 to beforced into tank 3| upon the rst downward stroke of piston 30, by way of pipes 43 and 46 and through one way check 41 and into tank 3|. Thereafter, however, upon further reciprocation of the piston 30 within cylinder 29 air will be caused to displace piston 30 during its up-stroke by entering through check 49, at atmospheric pressure, and into cylinder 29 by way of fitting 44 and pipe 43, to be displaced by piston 30, upon its following downward stroke, into tank 3| by way of pipe 43, iitting 44, pipe 46, and through check 41 into tank 3|. Thereby utilizing cylinder 29 and piston 30, together with their associated parts, as a means for developing a pre-determined pressure of air in tank 3|.

The valves 38 and 45 may be operated manually for the purpose of spacing or holding the walking beam in` any desired position, or may be used for the purpose of isolating the pressure in tank 3| from the cylinder29 below piston 30, by closing valve 39, check 41 permitting flow into tank 3| only, and/or upon. opening valve 45 while valve 38 is closed the cylinder 29 below ypiston 3D may be vented to the atmosphere thereby rendering the piston 30 neutral in order that the crank 2| together with itsattached parts may be freely turned to any position. AMounted in the upper end of thev tank 3| is a pipe 50. This pipekcommunicates` with the compression space 35 of the tank and to the top of a pressure regulating valve 5|. The regulating valve 5| is provided with a suitable pressure diaphragm 52 which acts against a valve rod 53 slidably mounted in a frame 54. A valve element 55 is operated by the rod 53 and when the liquid under pressure Within the tank'3l becomes less than a predetermined val-ue the 'valve element 55 will move on to its seat 56 to become closed. This action will be aided by spring 51 which is carried in the frame 51|y and normally` acts against collars 58 and 58' to hold the valve 55 on its seat. 'Ihe valve member 55 is mounted within a valve housing 59 to one side of which is attached a pipe 60 and to the opposite side of which is attached a draw-off pipe 6|. The pipe Ellis connected with a T fitting 62, one side of which is attached to a pipe 63 and the other sideto a pipe 64. The pipe l6,3 leads to a gear pump 65. This pump is of conventional design having a housing 66 and pumping gears 61 and 68. The gears are driven through suitable continuously operating driving mechanism. The gear housing 66 is fitted with a pipe 69 leading to the bottom of a storage tank 10 into which suiicient liquid has been placed for operating purposes. 64 is connected with a check valve 1| through which fluid may flow to va pipe 12 connected directly with the compression space 35 in the tank 3|.

In the operation of the invention as here shown the valve 38 has been opened to per- 1 mit the rate of displacement` of the incompressible fluid which hasnbeen placed within the compression space 13 of the balancing cylinder 29 and in compression space 35 of tank 3| The unit 26 is mounted upon trunnions 14 carried in bearings l15 mounted on supporting elements 16 and the piston rod 25 has been pivotally connected to the walking beam by means of The pipe the pivot 24. As the walking'beam is oscillated by the driving action of the crank 2| and the pitman rod |9 the piston rod 25 will be i `walking beam. The pressure condition desired has been previously determined and the relative volumes Vof incompressible and compressible fluids have been determined. A constant pressure may be established within the tank 35 by regulation of a nut 11 which adjusts the collar 58 upon the valve stem 53. Thus when the pressure within thev compression space 35 of the tank 3| drops below av predetermined minimum the relief of pressure from against the' diaphragm 52 will cause the valve stem 53 and its valve 55 to be drawnupwardly so that the valve 55v seats to prevent theY passage of fluid through the pipes 60 and 6| to thetank 10. This will cause the gear pump 65 to draw oil constantly from the tank 10 and direct it through the check valve 1| and ,the pipe 12 to the compression space 35 ofthe Vtank 3|. Whentsuiicient oil rhas been pumped into the tank 3| through thepipe 12 to increase 'the pressure in the tank to the pressure to which the valve 5| has been `adjustably set by the nut 11 the valve 55 will be movedto an opened posi'- tionand the'pipesI 60`and 6|-will be in communication to atmospheric pressure-'in storage tank 10. This willcause the flow of oil to be diverted from the pressure pipe 12 to the relief pipes 60 `and 6 I.` `Thus closing the check valve to maintain the established pressure within the tank 3|. It will then be seen that the oil which is-constantly pumped through the pump l65 will bemdiverted back into the tank 10 until such time as the pressure in the tank 3| appreciably lowers and then the valvev 55 will reclose to cause the oil to be forced into the tank 3| again. Thus it will be seen that the counterbalancing and cushioning pressure established by the constantly maintained` quantity of'oil under a constantly controlled pressure insures that as the walking beam and the piston 30 swing downwardly the movement will be resisted by'. the pressure uid under piston 30 within the compression chamber 13 of the balancing cylinder 29 as developed by the compression of the air within the chamber 35 of the tank 3|. .It will further be evident that upon the up stroke the expansive .action of the air within the compression space 35 will act to aid in liftingvthe piston 30 and the load which has been imposed upon the walking beam and its power unit. If it is desirable to provide a drain pipe which connects the cushion cylinder 3| with the tank 10 suitable means may be provided so that when an excess of liquid accumulates in the cushion cylinder this liquid may drain back into the tank.

It will thus be seen Athat the pumping apparatus here disclosed operates in an automatic manner to maintain a predetermined proportion of incompressible fluid'and compressible fluid 'for cushioning, counter-balancing, and compensating the operating'action of a continuously oscillating pump walking beam.

While I have shown the preferrediorm of my invention, as known to me, it will be understood that'various changes might be made inthe com,- bination, construction, and arrangementof parts, by those skilled inthe art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by -Letters Patent is:

l. In a pumping apparatus for oil wells and thelike, of the type including a power actuated walking beam, cushioning and counterbalancing means including a balancing cylinder, a piston therein, a piston rod therefor', the upper end of said piston rod being pivotally Aconnected to the walking beam, a cushion cylinder in freecornr'nu'` nication with the lower end of the balancingcylinder, means for by-passing' yan incompressible fluid from the compression chamberfof thebalancing cylinder `to the cushion cylinder, a storage supply of incompressiblefluid, means for continuously circulating said incompressible fluid to" the balancing cylinder said cushioning cylinder and means responsive to variation' inl pressure of the expansible uid to interrupt the ilowof incompressible fluid from the storage supply to the cushioning cylinder. V

2. In a pumpingapparatus for oil wells and the like, of the type includinga power actuatedwalking beam, cushioning and 4counterbalancing means including a balancing cylinder, a piston' thereinka piston rod therefor, the upper end of said piston rod being pivotally connected to the walking beam,a cushion cylinder in free communication with the lower end'of'the balancing cylinder, means for by-passing an incompressible fluid from the compression chamber of the balancing cylinder to the cushion cylinder, a storage supply of incompressible fluid, means for continuously circulating said incompressible fluid to the balancing cylinder, said cushioning cylinder being partially .filled with a compressible fluid, means responsive to variation in pressure of the expansible iluid to interrupt the flow of incompressible uid from the storage supply to the cushioning cylinder.

3. In a well pumping apparatus of the type including a power driven walking beam, a cushioning unit interposed between a fixed base and said beam, said unit comprising a cushioning tank pivoted to the xed base, a balancing cylinder within said tank open to the atmosphere at its upper end, a piston reciprocating within said balancing cylinder, a piston rod connected therewith and extending outwardly of the open end of the balancing cylinder, the upper end of the rod being connected to the walking beam, a conduit establishing free communication bebetween the bottom of Ithe cushioning tank and the balancing cylinder, the compression space in the balancing cylinder and the space within the bottom of the cushioning tank'being filled with an incompressible fluid, while the space within the cushioning tank `above the incompressible fluid is lled with a compressible fluid, a storage tank for incompressible uid, pump means continuously withdrawing incompressible fluid from the storage tank and feeding the same to said cushioning tank, andmeansresponsive to variation in the pressure of the compressible uid for diverting the oW of incompressible fluid from the cushioning tank and by-.passing such fluid to thefstorage tank when; a.- predetermlned pressure has been reached.

4 In a pumping apparatus of the type including a power actuated vertically Voscillating walk:y Y`

ing beam, cushioning and counterbalance'me'ans; comprising a vtankpivoted at itslower end 'to al xeclbase, a balancing` cylinder as'sociatedwith v said tank and movable therewith', a piston with-y in the balancing'cylinder, a piston rod ca'rrieclby the piston and,extendingfoutwardly of the upper open end'of. the cylinder and pivotally connected l to the walking beam, a conduit establishing free communication between the 'lower end of the bal-' ancing cylinderV and the lower end of` the tank,

the space within the lbalancingcylinde'r 'below the piston andthe lower portion o f theYta-nk f being lled'with an incompressible Huid, the 'up` per space within thetankcontaining the com- 4 pressible iluid,l oil storagemeans a pumpindependently Iand continuouslyoperatingto deliver oil from the storage means to the ltankwhereby to maintain apredeterrnined quantity of o il within the tank and sustaina predetermined lfluid pressure within the tank, a by-DaSSpiDeithrousbi lwhich oil from'thel pumpmay flowto" the storage being partially `filled with a compressible fluid,

mea-ns, a valve therein, and' meansl forv operating the same responsive to variationin thev pressure of the'compres'sibleuid within vthe tank where? by when amaxirnum fluid pressure has been reached within the tank the valve will divertthe i oil from the pump' to the storage means.

5. In a pumping apparatus ofthe type including`lv a powerV actuated vertically" oscillating walking" beam, cushioning and counterbalance means corn` `prising` atank pivotedfat its lower end Vto a Vixed base, a balancing cylinder associated withsaid tank j I' and movable therewith',`a` piston Within the balan'c` ing cylinder, a pistonrodcarried bythe piston' and" extending outwardly` ofthe upper open end of the ously operating to deliver oll from the storage' means to the tank whereby to maintain a predetermined uid pressure kwithin the tank, a bypass pipe through-which oil from the pump may owto the storage means, a valve therein, and

tion in the pressure ofthe compressible iluid within thetank whereby when a maximum iluid pres.

sure has been reached within the tank the valve will divert the oil from the pump to the storage means, and .fa check valve in the line from the pump to the cushioning tank whereby uld pressure will be held in the tank. 1

6. In a pumping apparatus of the type comprising an oscillating power'actuated walking beam,

cushioning and counterbalancing means compris-` ing a cushioning cylinderpivoted at its lower end, a balancing cylinder rigidly associated with the cushioning cylinder, a piston within the balancing cylinder, a piston rod extending from said piston and pivotally connected to the walking beam, the

portion of the balancing cylinder below the piston being filled with an incompressible iluid and ar portion of the cushioning cylinder being fllledwith said incompressible fluid, a conduit establishing constant communication between the lower vend of the balancing cylinder and the lower -end of the cushioning cylinder whereby said incompressible iiuid may have unrestricted ow between the two cylinders, the upper end of the Vcushioning 50 means for operating the same responsiveto variacylinder being lled with a compressible fluid, a second conduit establishing communication between the compression end of the balancing cylinder and the cushioning cylinder at a level below the level of the incompressible fluid in the cushk ioning cylinder and having a check valve therein opening toward the cushioning cylinder, a valve in the rst named conduit between the balancing cylinder and the cushioning cylinder which when closed will cause the displaceduid in the balancing cylinder to be forced directly into the cush- Y ioning cylinder through said second conduit, an f air intake check valve in communication with the second named conduit whereby on the suction stroke of the piston withinthe balancing cylinder air will beldrawn into the balancing cylinder and on the subsequent compression stroke of the balancing cylinder will be forced intothe cushioning cylinder, a `fluid inlet pipe. communicating with the cushioning cylinder and within which a supply of incompressible fluid is maintained, a fluidr storage tank, means for maintaining a constant flow of fluid' from the storage tank to the cushioning cylinder through said fluid inlet pipe, and

automatic means for interrupting said flow of fluid. l

7. In a pumping apparatus of the type comprising an oscillating power actuated walking beam, cushioning and counterbalancing means comprising a cushioning cylinder pvoted at its lowerend,

a balancing cylinder rigidly associated with the y cushioning cylinder, a piston within the balancing cylinder, a piston rod extending from said piston and pivotally connected to the Walking beam, the portion of the balancing cylinder below the piston being lled with an incompressible fluid and a portion of the cushioning cylinder being filled with said incompressible fluid, a conduit establlshing constant communication between the lower end of the balancing cylinder and the lower end of the cushioning cylinder whereby said incompressible fluid may have unrestricted flow between the two cylinders, theupper end of the cushioning cylinderfbeinglled with a compressible fluid, a second conduit establishing communication between the compression end of the balancing cylinder andv the cushioning lcylinder at a level below the level of the incompressible fluid in the cushioning cylinder and having a` check valve therein opening toward the cushioning cylinder, a`valve in the rst named conduit between the balancing cylinder'and the cushioning cylinder which when closed will cause the dis'- inlet communicating with the cushioning i cylinder within which a supply of incompressible fluid is maintained, a fluid storagetank, means for maintaining a constant flow of fluid from the storage tank to the cushioning cylinder throughV saidxfluid inlet pipe, `and means responsive to increase fluid pressure' withinl the `compression cylinder whereby the normal flowrof fluid from the tank to the cushioning cylinder will be diverted into the tank.

CHARLES M. OLEARY.- 

